Ecton (physics)

Ectons are explosive electron emissions observed as individual packets or avalanches of electrons, occurring as microexplosions at the cathode. The electron current in an ecton starts flowing as a result of overheating of the metal cathode because of the high energy density, and stops when the emission zone cools off.
Ectons occur in plasma-involving phenomena, such as: electrical discharges in vacuum, cathode spots of vacuum arcs, volumetric discharges in gases, pseudo-spark discharges, coronas, unipolar arcs, etc.
An ecton consists of individual portions of electrons. The formation time is of the order of nanoseconds.